Auditor delays retirement

Friday

Apr 25, 2014 at 6:19 AM

By Linda KushWoburn@wickedlocal.com

Longtime Woburn City Auditor Gerald Surette agreed to delay his retirement, which was originally slated for this spring. In a letter to the Woburn City Council, Surette, who has worked for Woburn since 1975, said he had changed his plans at the request of Mayor Scott Galvin.In exchange for staying on, the council voted at its April 15 meeting to award him a lump-sum payment for unused sick pay, or sick-pay buyback. The benefit, normally paid upon retirement or death, will instead be paid at the end of April."For me, the decision to continue as city auditor for the city of Woburn is not a very difficult one, but a decision that there is so much more to do for the city of Woburn," he wrote in the letter.Ward One Alderman Rosa DiTucci, who heads the council’s Committee on Personnel, said the decision to retire is never taken lightly and asked Surette why he reversed it. He said he simply wanted to serve Woburn and the mayor.A contract between the city and Surette rewarding the sick-pay buyback calls for him to stay on until Sept. 30, 2015. Ward Two Alderman Richard Gately asked why he didn’t just stay on board until then, rather than work under the contract. Galvin replied the contract allowed Surette to receive the payment immediately rather than upon retirement.Alderman-at-Large Michael Concannon summed up the choice before the council:"We’re talking about an option. One way or the other, we’re paying that amount; pay him to leave or pay him to stay… It seems to me it would be in the best interest of the city to pay him as he stays," he said.Galvin said the city would need Surette’s expertise for several major financial commitments to be made during the next 18 months, including building a new Hurld-Wyman School, a new fire station and an addition to the public library.Extending Surette’s tenure would also enhance Woburn’s position with potential lenders, he added."We’ve done a great job assembling a strong financial team. One of the things that determines our credit rating is the strength of that financial team," said Galvin.The council approved the contract unanimously."You see someone who is such an asset to the city get ready to leave, it left me with an empty feeling. I don’t have that empty feeling anymore," said Gately.